Fuel-support for open fireplaces.



" No. 744,088. PATEN'IED NOVJ1'7, 1903 Al Al I FUEL SUPPORT FOR OPEN FIREPLAOES.

APPLIOATION FILED OCT. 31. 1902.

H0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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No. 744,083. PATENTED NOV. 17, 1903.

IL A. LOW. FUEL SUPPORT FOR OPEN FIREPLAOES.

AP PLIOATION FILED 0013.31. 1902.

N0 MODEL. 2 $HEETS-SHBET 2.

m ssw. I xmwwkmx UNliTEo STATES Patented November 17, 1903.

ABBOT AUGUSTUS LOW, or HORSESHOE, NEW YORK.

FUEL-SUPPORT FOR OPEN FIREPLACES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 744,083, dated November 17, 1903.

Application filed October 31, 1902. $erial No. 129,538. (No model.)-

To aZZ 2012,0112, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ABBOT AUGUSTUS Low, a citizen of the United States, residing at Horseshoe, St. Lawrence county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fuel-Supports for Open Fireplaces, of which the following is a specification sufficient to enable others skilled in the art to which the invention appertains to make and use the same.

My invention is designed to snpercede the use of andirons on the hearths of open fireplaces.

As is well known, andirons are usually used in pairs unattached and independent of each other, with a post or standard infront, but with no means of holding logs or other fuel away from the back wall of the fireplace. Furthermore, long sticks or legs of wood only can be supported by and between them, and

' when these burn through they fall directly upon the hearth, cutting 01f free access of air to the fuel.

By my invention I adapt an open fireplace to the burning of either long or short wood,

or even to the burning of coal, coke, or other fuel, either alone or in combination with sticks or logs of wood. I also insure more thorough and free access of air to the fuel, thereby promoting combustion.

The invention consists, essentially, in connecting a plurality of andirons rigidly at a suitable distance apart and interposing and supporting between them a basket or grate adapted to sustain small wood, cohl, coke, or other fuel suitable for'burning in an open grate. By this means either small or large wood may be accommodated and burned in an open fireplace either separately or simultaneously, logs or longer pieces being laid across the andirons and above the basketgrate and the smaller wood or fuel being placed in the said basket-grate.

My invention also includes the making of the andirons with rear posts or standards, which prevent the actual contact of the logs or sticks of wood with the rear wall of the fireplace.

There are also certain other features of construction, which I describe and claim hereinafter specifically.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a front view of an open hearth or fireplace provided with my improved fuel support. Fig. 2 is a vertical section upon plane of line 2 2, Fig. 1. top, front, and end elevations of my improved fuel-s11 pport removed from the hearth to show the construction more clearly.

F represents the fireplace above the hearth H. On the hearth H rests my combination fuel-support A, consisting of the two side frames or andirons a a, united by a plurality of cross bars or rods b I). These cross-harsh b are situated at the back of the andirons a a, so as to leave the front of the device free and unobstructed. Each andiron a a is also formed with a rear post or standard a extending upward above the support for the ends of the logs or sticks of wood. These rear standards prevent such wood from falling against the rear wall f of the fireplace F, and thereby maintain a space between said wall and the'fuel for the entrance of air to facilitate combustion. 7

Between the side frames or andirons a a is supported a grate G, preferably in the form of a square basket, the grate-bars g g of which are suificiently close to support coal, inch Wood, chips, or other fuelof relatively small SIZB.

The fuel-support thus constructed isadapted to various uses. The grate-basket G may be used alone as a source of heat in moderate accessible in such quantities as to insure perfect combustion, while the resulting ash is free to fall to the hearth. Even where the logs or long sticks of wood are used alone the grateaftords support for the'inner ends of the wood formed by the burning through centrally of the lengths of wood, which would otherwise fall to the hearth-and thereby cut 06 the supply of oxygen from underneath.

Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are respectively In this connection the prevention of contact between fuel and the rear wall of the fireplace is important in that the perfect and rapid combustion of the fuel is assured. By thus supporting both the incandescent and unburned fuel away from the rear Wall and hearth of the fireplace I also facilitate the removal of ash from the hearth Without interfering with the incandescent fuel, and thereby am enabled to attain and maintain a perfect draft under, around, and upward through the fuel.

A preferable way to support the grate is upon slides S S, which are formed upon the andirons in such manner that the basket G may be moved back and forth thereon, as shown. This arrangement not only admits of the drawing forward of the basket for convenience in replenishing fuel or for other reasons and its return to its normal position over the hearth, but. it also admits of the basket being removed bodily when desired.

It will be noted that the front of the device is entirely open and accessible, so that the basket may be conveniently manipulated as above or totally withdrawn when it is desired to use the andirons alone for the support of logs or lengths of Wood.

What Iclaim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A fuel-support for open fireplaces comprising two andirons, cross-bars uniting the same at the back thereof, and a fuel-basket for sustaining the burning fuel above the hearth, whereby long sticks of wood may be supported on the andirons and burned, said grate affording a support for the inner ends of the sticks when burned through and keeping them from falling to the hearth, substantially as described.

2. A fuel-support for open fireplaces comprising two andirons, cross-bars uniting the same at the back thereof, said andirons being formed with rear standards extending above the upper cross-bar, and a fuel-basket for sustaining the burning fuel above the hearth whereby long sticks of wood may be supported on the andirons and burned, said grate affording a support for the inner ends of the sticks when burned through, and keeping them from falling to the hearth.

ABBOT AUGUSTUS LOW.

Witnesses:

D. W. GARDNER, FRANK E. ROACH. 

